Founded by former Ziegfield girl Helen Gallagher and the colorful gambler and sports enthusiast Jack Solomon, Gallaghers opened as a speakeasy and steakhouse in 1927. At that time, the height of Prohibition, a good stiff drink and a great steak were hard to find in New York – except, of course, at Gallaghers.

New Yorkers come for the world-class cocktails and incredible steak – prime beef dry-aged for 21 days in Gallaghers’ legendary windowed meat locker. The combination of all-natural dry aging and cooking it to perfection over hickory coals makes for a steak unlike any other found in New York.

OMG such a delicious steak - and that’s what you’re here for of course. Look no further, the filet mignon is perfect; nicely charred on the outside, juicy on the inside and perfectly seasoned. The wedge salad was exactly what you want in a wedge salad, crunchy iceberg, tangy blue cheese and chunky bacon bits. Share one and be grateful that you saved room for more of the steak. Some of the sides are less outstanding; the onion rings were flavorful but a teeny bit soggy, however, we were too full to care and the super hot mash potatoes more than made up for it. The ambiance in the main room is so freaking New York. Who was that guy at the next table that 3 people stopped by to shake his hand and pay their respect? All in all a good experience.

This was a very special dining experience! The ambiance is that of an old movie — very elegant. I surprised my husband with dinner and a show for his birthday. He was so excited with the steak options and had trouble deciding. The waitstaff were so attentive, friendly and consummately professional. We look forward to going back!

The restaurant was overbooked on a Sunday night, so my party had to wait 20 minutes to be seated even though we had a reservation. The gentleman at the front desk was not very friendly or helpful in terms on letting us know how long the wait would be. Once we were finally seated, a waiter with a heavy sales approach came over and talked for too long. The whole experience felt like they were tone deaf, making the dining experience stressful instead of enjoyable and relaxed.

Gallagher's is an outstanding. The decor and seating let you know that you are dining in a superb restaurant. Form the moment you enter you are treated by courteous and friendly staff. We had arrived early, so we sat at the bar while waiting for our table. Don, our bartender made incredible Old Fashions and Manhattans for us, probably the best we've ever had. We sat at a very cozy corner booth and we were able to view the entire restaurant. For appetizers we had the lobster cocktail and the lump crab meat cocktail, both were impressive. The fillet and the rib steak were very generous in size and cooked to perfection. Then we topped it off with banana cream pie. What a wonderful meal! Can't wait to go back and try the other entrees.

If you have a table booked, don’t expect to be seated at that time. Expect to be told to have a drink at the bar (where it’s standing only), then be called for your table but you have to settle the bar tab first because they don’t transfer it to your table tab, wait for 5 minutes for the drinks bill, then find out your table has been given away! And you’re expected to tip the bar server for one drink!

Not a slick operation and way too busy.. kind of put a downer on the night

This was a 21st dinner celebration for my son, and Jimmy - the waiter - made it an incredible experience to remember. The food was incredible and we spent over 2.5 hours enjoying the restaurant, the waiter, the food and our event, which Jimmy did everything he could to enhance.

We always try to hit up a high end steak house whenever we go to New York. It was time to hit Gallagher’s. If you have not been I recommend it. Service was 5 star, steak (at the price point it was at) was 4 star. French onion was very good as well. Again Gallagher’s was a top notch steak house that being said on return trip to New York we will try another one of the top rated houses. As it was a 5 restaurant it was great but I wasn’t blown away. The one bad and I think this is more a symptom of the New York restaurants then Gallagher’s, however at the price levels they are at I expect more. Be aware again that tables are extremely close together and so you will be almost on top of your dining neighbors. Common practice in New York. I would rather pay 10% more and have 10% less people. As at a dinner cost at this price I don’t like the random chance of the couple next to us being totally hammered as they sat down, as our neighbors were.

Our eldest daughter had made reservations here for our 20 wedding anniversary. It was the best dinner i have had in a long time. It made this event even more special. The food was excellent, the service was awesome, and the ambient very comfortable. I would love to come back. This has bec0me my new favorite place. I invite you all to come to Galligher, you will have a great time.

Let me start by saying this was the BEST food we've ever eaten! We will definitely be returning next time we go to NYC. Our waiter Gianni made our experience ever better. He was extremely friendly and charming and recommended a beautiful wine which we loved. The restaurant itself is buzzy but also romantic. Great for us, a young couple on our first visit to New York. I ordered a 10oz filet steak and my boyfriend ordered a 14oz filet steak. We shared two sides - hash browns and tenderstem broccoli. The portions were HUGE. We had to box most of it up afterwards! All the food was incredible. At the end of the meal when the bill came we realised we'd been charged for two 14oz steaks instead of one 14oz and one 10oz. Of course we were fine with this as everyone makes mistakes and believed that a simple apology and bill change would be the resolution to this. Unfortunately this was not the case. Another waiter came by our table (not Gianni) and we explained the mistake on the bill to which he replied "nope - you ordered a 14 oz steak too" very abruptly and rudely. We of course denied this as this wasn't the case to which he started arguing with us trying to tell us we were lying! I had photographic evidence on my phone of both of our steaks PLUS I knew what I ordered. He then stormed off and told us he was going to get his manager. He returned back 10 minutes later with no manager and a changed bill which he threw on the table and then walked away from - NO apology. This left a bitter taste in our mouths and made us feel extremely offended and disappointed. Aside from this, we enjoyed one of our best meals and experiences ever. I deducted one star from the service section of this review due to this incident as I wouldn't want one rude waiter to ruin the rest of our experience - plus Gianni our water for the rest of our evening was 5*.